The present inventors have recognized that common practices for coaching rowing teams involves several aspects that coaches use to assess each individual rower's performance to determine which combination of rowers will likely row a boat the fastest. One aspect is knowing which individuals are rowing with the most force so coaches have an idea of who is moving the boat through the water most powerfully. Another aspect is tracking each individual's force output over time to pair rowers with complementary force-outputs and rowing styles as teammates in a boat. Yet another aspect is to improve competitive results using information about individual performance.
The present inventors have also recognized that inexperienced rowers commonly have several challenges to address while learning to row. For example, inexperienced rowers commonly start out rowing in a manner that feels natural and may mistakenly believe a rowing stroke is powerful when in fact the rowing form is incorrect. Incorrect rowing form results in a weaker rowing stroke. Another challenge is that when a rowing coach instructs inexperienced rowers to correct their form, the inexperienced rowers may be unsure how to make the stroke more powerful using the new and unfamiliar rowing form. As a result, inexperienced rowers may be reluctant to change their form and may fall back into using poor form. The present inventors have also recognized that providing stroke force magnitude to rowers may help them recognize how form changes increase the power of their stroke and that inexperienced rowers may benefit from individualized rowing information.
The present inventors have also recognized that several common performance assessment tools rowing coaches currently use do not provide accurate on-the-water information regarding a rower's stroke. One such common assessment tool is to measure rowing power performance primarily using an ergometer. Coaches commonly use ergometers to compare individual rowing data for a set of rowers to select a combination of rowers for a boat. Each individual's quantitative rowing data is also collected from successive ergometer workout sessions to track each individual's rowing performance. The present inventors have recognized that the quantitative data collected from ergometers is not necessarily indicative of rowing performance on the water. The present inventors have also recognized that, for various reasons, rowers often perform differently in a boat on the water than they do on the ergometer. For example, the present inventors have recognized that the ideal body type for rowing on the water is somewhat different from the ideal body type for ergometer rowing. Additionally, the present inventors have recognized that rowing performance on water is dependent on oar handling, which is not required on an ergometer. Furthermore, the present inventors have recognized that an ergometer does not require a rower to maintain the balance of a boat using his or her body motion. The present inventors have further recognized that rowing on land using an ergometer does not equate to rowing on water, that the quantitative measurements taken with an ergometer cannot reliably indicate rowing performance on the water, and that an ergometer therefore provides a rower or coach only a limited indication of performance on the water. The present inventors have also recognized that ergometer performance alone should not be the basis for competitive boat line-ups.
Another performance assessment tool coaches currently rely on are seat races. Seat races are used to assist coaches' decisions regarding which rowers to place in a top boat during competitive races against other teams. During a seat race, two boats typically race against each other twice. At the end of the first race one rower from each boat is replaced by a new rower. The two boats race again and the relative performance of the boats during the two races is used to compare the abilities of the two rowers who were replaced and of the two new rowers. The present inventors have recognized that observational data from seat races depends on the performance of all the rowers participating in the seat race, and therefore a seat race cannot truly isolate individual performance because the coach simply cannot easily tell who the powerful rowers are. The present inventors have also recognized that seat races can be particularly inconclusive and inefficient if coaches have multiple rowers to observe during the race. Furthermore, the present inventors have recognized that a rowing team with only one boat and multiple rowers trying to get a seat in that boat must address additional logistical and timing problems associated with seat races in a single boat. For example, a team with only one boat must time the first race and then wait until the original rowers are completely rested before replacing one of the rowers and timing the second race.
Other tools rowers and coaches use to collect quantitative data of rowing performance are force-sensing systems on boat components. These force-sensing systems have used strain gages to measure the force on various components in a boat. An example of measuring the force applied to an oarlock is in U.S. Pat. No. 7,114,398 of Haines that describes a load cell with strain gages adapted for use in an oarlock. Another example is in U.S. Pat. No. 7,207,853 of Spencert et al. that describes an oarlock modified to incorporate a strain gage used for measuring a strain in a bearing of the oarlock caused by a force of the oar upon the oarlock during a stroke. Strain gages have also been incorporated in the foot stretchers of a boat to measure the deflection of the foot stretcher. Another example of a strain gage system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,689 of McGinn.
The present inventors have recognized that adding current force-sensing systems to a boat typically requires bulky equipment that adds additional weight to the boat. The present inventors have recognized that additional equipment also commonly requires modifications to the oarlocks, foot stretchers, or the boat, which coaches and crews are often unwilling to make. The present inventors have also recognized that current force-sensing systems require frequent calibration to provide accurate force measurements.
For the foregoing reasons, the present inventors have recognized a need for a rowing oar equipped to determine a magnitude of force acting on the oar blade to provide individualized rowing force information to coaches and rowers.